Pietersen does it again. I'm convinced he's doing the old W.G Grace thing, I can't be out they haven't come here to watch you bowl they've come here to watch me me bat. He thinks he's putting on a personal exhibition all the time.

When is he going to realise that there's another team turned up trying to get his team out.

Big headed get.

I'm amazed the way people of have turned against Piertersen.

He got a good ball, he got out it happens. He'll probably still end up our highest scorer in the series. If he wasn't big headed he wouldn't be half the player he is.

It's the fact that he appears to play for himself rather than his team that gets on my wick.

I haven't got the benefit of pictures but the commentary suggested that he was forcing play to demonstrate that he wasn't going to be dominated by the Australian attack and was therefore taking chances rather than preserving his wicket.

There's a few big headed Australians around as well well but they seem to play for their team.

Flintoff believes his own publicity as well. Just because they've got the trappings they think they're in show business rather than sportsmen. I think they're knocking around with too many premiership football players.

Good day for England but it should have been much better after the start the openers gave us. I hope Strauss gets his double century tomorrow. No doubt when the Aussies bat they will score 600.

but if he did the opposite he'd be accused of playing like a coward and letting the ausssies [3s's] put the shits up him.......

damned if he does damnded [extra d] if he dont innhe?!

I just don't want him to get out for less than 50 everytime and he's doing that too often.

For a good innings three or four batsman need to get a decent knock. The Australians do it and England dont.

Flintoff and Piertersen should be knock 3 and 4 and they're not doing it.

I think anything above 350 against the Aussies has to be thought of as a good innings. Yes they're stubborn with the bat and incisive with the ball but today we made them look quite ordinary in the field. Plus we knacked one of their strike bowlers as well so that's a good day.

All we need now is Ponting arrested for kerb crawling and the small urn will be ours.

I hope the weather is much better at Lords today than it is here.

Would you? I'm not sure I would. After the first half hour yesterday I wanted 500. Not until we went 9 down would I have taken 425.

Plenty of movement this morning, I really hope Onions can prove he was worth the spot over Harmy.

At ten to eleven yesterday morning? Definitely. Anybody who wouldn't is mad.

I must be mad then, after seeing the pitch before the match, winning the toss and deciding to bat, against this Aussie attack and having one of the longest batting line ups we've had in donkeys I thought it was a great chance to push 500.

GET IN JIMMY!!!

Exit stage left Mr Hughes!!!

1975 Mr John. It's not something we make a habit of.

Now, stick a 100mph-er into Pontings smug puddings.

GET OUT YER bounder

Adios Ricky!!! Gunt

tee-hee, he was nowhere near it!

I don't deny we've had a shabby history but at the start of play yesterday having won the toss on such a flat wicket with 9 excellent batsmen I really thought 500 was about par.

10-2. Ponting wrongly given out.

I always knew 425 would be enough which is why I'd have happily taken around 400 at start of play yesterday.

No need, the cocky little get has gone for 2!!!

I missed it because I was having a dump.

ponting will moan that he never hit the ball and hit his foot, but he was LBW ANYWAY, daft aussie fookwit

He was bowling well last week though and they still overlooked him.

Pressure is on Broad and Onions to perform this afternoon.

Big difference between taking a few wickets against Nottinghams middle order than playing Ponting, Hussey et al.

I agree about Pools but never really got into county cricket. There are also fewer things I want than to win the Ashes back from them chunts!

Does it make me a bad person that I'm replacing the picture of my niece on my wallpaper with this?!

Quality!

brilliant photo that!

I'm told by some guys in Nottingham on another message board that the rain is clearing so Durham should hopefully win tonight.

Hope England get back on soon. I hate it when we are on top and the rain saves the opposition.

Do you think Freddie is shouting "Bad luck old chap".

Great picture , you can tell the lads really love Ricky ..

Nice to see the Aussies struggling.

Anderson is the fookin dogs!

Having him and Harmison in the same side would be nice

more of this and less of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8yVcNjQtak

So how many do the Australians have to score to avoid the follow on.........it seems to vary a bit.

They are 153 for 8. Need 73 to avoid the follow on.

If I wasn't so unsure about England's ability to finish the Aussies off, I'd willingly replace my wedding photo on my desktop with that gem! It would make a class caption competition...

Having lived outside the area for around half my life, I don't really follow Durham much, then again I'm a diehard Poolie although it isn't quite the same really.
England in the Cricket, Pools at Footy, always have been, always will be (Unless Pools get franchised or something )

Have done a tenner at 9/2 on them avoiding the follow on with the hope that I'll lose my money!

Why isn't Freddie bowling?

Because we're trying to get wickets!!!

Durham win, Harmy finishes with 6 wickets for just 20 runs off 13 overs.

Hauritz departs.

Do we bat again? Looking to the wicket I think we should, bat them out of the game.

I don't think we're going to have the choice!

Broad has done nothing but bang it in short all fcking morning.

215 all out and having another bat. That'll do me just nicely.

3 wickets for Onions too which is pleasing.

We better hope the weather fine for last 2 days, because if we were batting and chasing a low(ish) total, we could ignore the light, as sure as day follows night if the Aussies are offered it they will go off. And apart from the light there's rain expected both days according to weather man, I think we should have put them back in

I concur

I think you do what the the opposition would like to do the least, I reckon given the chance the Aussies would have backed themselves to make 400+ on a flat deck. They don't want to be in the field now if we bat anything like today we are going to be 500+ ahead with just over half the game gone, in other words they are out of it. Light can't come into consideration when you have two full days left in the middle of July.

Botham is talking shite, saying this is the Aussies only way back into the game the only way back was them to bat again and set us a tricky chase under pressure like when we nearly blew it at Trent Bridge in 2005. If the Aussies get out of this with a draw they are going to have to play very, very well.

Strauss did right in not putting them back in.

They wouldnt've have repeated their first innings and would've batted til tomorrow night/mid morning on Monday been 300 ahead and then put pressure on England for the last 3 sessions on Monday with a collapse likely.

This way Strauss has taken away the chance to correct their poor operformance and is now rubbing their noses in it.